Taylor Biomass expects millions in federal funding

With two New York politicians behind him, Jim Taylor, president of New York-based Taylor Biomass, is poised to receive final approval from the U.S. DOE for a $100 million loan guarantee that will allow construction of a biomass gasification facility and expansion of the company’s existing recycling operations.

The Montgomery, N.Y., project is being constructed near the Taylor Recycling Facility and will generate 20 megawatts of electricity through gasification of waste wood, municipal solid waste (MSW) and possibly construction and demolition debris. The expansion will increase the company’s capacity to 450 tons per day of construction and demolition debris, 100 tons per day of wood waste and 500 tons per day of MSW, according to Taylor Biomass.

The recycling facility currently at the 95-acre site has a capacity of 307 tons per day of construction and demolition (C&D) debris and 100 tons per day of wood waste. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., have both visited the existing Taylor Biomass site and subsequently have personally spoken with DOE Energy Secretary Steven Chu in support of the proposed expansion. “After years of work, we are at the one year line with this project,” Schumer said in a statement. “Over $100 million in investments and hundreds of jobs are within our grasp. Once the project is completed, this will be the preeminent place in the country for people to learn about biomass energy, and other pioneering companies will be encouraged to choose the region for their new projects. This investment isn’t just good news for Taylor Biomass and the people they will employ, but good news for the entire Hudson Valley economy.”

The facility will be the nation’s first commercial biomass gasification plant to use MSW, according to Hinchey’s office. It will create 400 local jobs during construction and another 80 full-time positions once operational.

The plant has strong support from the community, according to Hinchey, including Orange County, which has committed to supplying it with solid waste. Proposed upgrades to the facility include improvements to the existing C&D processing structure, construction of a new post collection separation facility structure, two biomass storage silos, the gasification unit and a power generation pad, according to Taylor Biomass.

The company has also received funding for the project through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and the 18-month construction period is underway.